Huge team effort at Nether Stowe saw one student tested every minute

The headteacher of Nether Stowe has spoken of his pride in how staff and pupils worked together to overcome the challenge of COVID testing with a ‘huge team effort’.

Headteacher Glyn Langston-Jones was speaking as staff wound down the testing procedures in the school’s dance studio after more than a week of mass testing of students following their return from lockdown.

“We have been absolutely amazed by the testing – the children have been absolutely brilliant and the staff have been superb,” he said.

“At its most efficient, our testing centre was doing a test per minute, which is remarkable.

“It has been a huge team effort, involving the entire school community of staff, pupils and parents and I am proud of how we faced the challenge. The children understood exactly what was need of them and the parents have been very understanding too. The testing team were all volunteers, and they were testing, on most days, from 9am until 3pm – and they have just got on with it.”

After setting up the facility, a carefully planned process saw children brought out of lessons to queue up in alphabetical order before entering the testing centre at the school, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.

“The process worked really well,” Mr Langston-Jones said, “the students were fantastic at grasping the idea really quickly and went into the testing process with real confidence. I couldn’t ask for any better from them. “

With students now successfully using home testing kits, the school is keeping the testing facility in place to help those families who may need help doing the tests.

Mr Langston-Jones explained: “We will keep a small testing centre going, because while home testing has begun, some children will have challenges doing it at home. Keeping facilities at the school means we will be able to support them, as well as offering any tests to members of staff that might need them.”

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The testing process at Nether Stowe school has been hailed a success.

Nether Stowe headteacher Glyn Langston-Jones.